Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, I Miss You
by Shedim
Summary: DISCONTINUED KuramaxOC Is it just part of a sappy rhyme or part of something far greater? Kurama could never love anyone else,he tried but she wouldn't leave his mind even years after her disappearance. A old threat,another chance.
1. White Roses

This is my first fanfic ever, so please be gentle. I love criticism, but only if it's actually constructive.

"…"_- Thoughts or Flashbacks_

-100 Years before Present Day-

Night had fallen over the Demon World, and the cliff where Yoko Kurama and his thievery gang rested was shrouded in mist to hide their position. The kitsune was feeling particularly satisfied with himself after a pulling a heist on a very rare item, so he was relaxing from his tiring day. He was lying on his back against the rough, rocky landscape with his silver furry ears laid back in an "I'm not worried" position. Of course, he had a plan in case of attack, but Yoko preferred to believe he wouldn't need it.

Unbeknownst to Yoko, there was some creeping up on him there was a force creeping up on him at the moment.

"Yoko!" a high-pitched voice called. A light-skinned girl had appeared in front of the thief, taking advantage of his peace. The girl was tall and slender. Her long, black hair fell to her waist and atop her head, two pointed clouded leopard ears were perked up in excitement. She stood perched over the fox with an enormous smile on her face.

"Did I surprise you? Did I finally win the bet?" she questioned. Yoko looked dazed before yawning and telling her,

"No, I'm afraid not my dear. Sei, you are really dreadful at surprising people. The bet says you have to make me flinch, actually, and then you'll get what you want." He sat up and motioned for Sei to sit down beside him. She complied with a sigh.

"Damn it, I thought I had you that time," she remarked. Normally Yoko would not have tolerated this kind of annoyance, but Sei was a special case. As his mate, she had access to most privileges concerning his patience. He smiled slyly, leaned over and planted a small kiss on her cheek. Warmth filled his eyes.

"I know I'm cold to everyone, but know that you bring out my more civil side, rather, you materialize it with your presence," he told her in a rare gentle voice.

"Social issues are such a bother. We're thieves, why should we engage in the pleasantries of society?" Sei asked, her spotted tail swinging behind her.

"It's effective to forge bonds as to get closer to the prize."

"Fine."

Off in the distance, the feline demons heard muffled yells and sounds of weapons clashing. The warmth was gone from Yoko Kurama. He abruptly stood up. Hid ears swiveled, trying to here sounds of the battlefield. Finally, he sighed and stated, "The battlefield is at camp. Something's attacking." He held out his calloused hand to help the leopard demon stand. She grasped it and was pulled up.

"C'mon then! Let's go help those weaklings," Sei said excitedly, her green eyes lighting up. Yoko chuckled.

"I knew there was a reason I made you one of my high-ranking advisors," he said jokingly. With that, the pair sprinted off to the direction of camp.

Upon arrival at camp, Yoko Kurama and Sei found it decimated, with bodies lying everywhere. They couldn't believe their eyes. Their whole troupe was gone, though the gang was very strong. As the feline demons took in the damage, a malevolent presence lurked behind them. As soon as their guards were down, a blade pierced the silver fox man through. He fell to his knees from the shock. Sei whirled around and engaged the mysterious attacker. After a minute, Yoko stood up and also engaged their guest. Both demons had claws out and were furiously slashing at the figure. Ten minutes later, the demons were breathing heavily and were covered in wounds.

Forgetting their pride for the time being, they fled. The attacker pursued them. Along the way, Sei and Yoko were separated and no matter how much they tried, could not find their way back to each other. Sei stopped for a short breather. The attacker was no longer following them, but her wounds were aching.

"Yoko…" she whispered. "Are you okay?" she said to herself. Five miles way, Yoko had already collapsed from his injuries. Sei and Yoko Kurama never found each again.

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-Present Day-

Shuichi Minamino woke with a start, covered in cold sweat. He once again had dreamt of the fateful night where he and his mate saw each other for the last time. Shuichi (Kurama) sat up in bed; he had school tomorrow and had no time to be dwelling on the past. He wasn't even sure where Sei was now, 100 years later. Perhaps she had died, or was arrested for his thievery. He didn't really know.

Mentally shrugging it off, she turned his head and looked at the alarm clock beside his bed. "6:00 AM" it read.

_Might as well get up now. Not like I'm going to get anymore sleep tonight. _Kurama dragged himself out of bed and got ready for school slowly and methodically. He jogged downstairs to the kitchen where his mother was waiting for him.

"Morning Shuichi," she said cheerfully. She was cooking eggs on the stove for her son and herself.

"Good Morning Mother," Kurama said respectfully. After his mother's illness had subsided, he had made a note in the back of his mind to be even more respectful to his mother. Even legendary demon thieves had to suck up sometime.

"Your friends called earlier. Something about a meeting after school. I'm assuming you know what that's about," she said casually. The eggs were done and she scooped them onto a plate for the demon to eat. Her son nodded and picked up the plate of eggs and began to eat them.

An hour later, Kurama was sitting at his desk in his classroom, boredly watching the other students mingle. He had let his own friends go check over the homework without him, so he was simply waiting for class to start.

The door slid open. The elderly teacher entered with bundle of fliers in his hand.

"Stand and bow," he commanded.

The students obeyed as was custom.

"Good, sit," he said. There was much shuffling of desks as the teenagers sat down and got out all of their class materials.

"Before you all get comfortable, we have a transfer student joining us today. Oikawa-san, you may enter now," the teacher told them. A bouncy looking girl entered the room and stood in front of the class to introduce herself.

"Hello, I am Oikawa Sei. I transferred from Tono. I would love to make friends with you guys," Sei said, restraining the joy in her voice. Kurama flinched. _Her name is Sei. She even looks similar to my Sei. Why on the day I dreamt about that night?_ The teacher scanned the room.

"Oikawa-san, go sit next to Minamino Shuichi, he'll help you out." She teacher pointed to an empty desk beside Kurama's own desk.

"Hi!" Sei told Kurama as she came over to the desk and sat down. He sighed. This was going to be a long day.

The day went by fairly quickly considering Sei's constant talking. Before long it was the end of the day and Kurama couldn't even go home. Picking up his belongings, Kurama started his trek to Urameshi Yusuke's apartment. However, before he could get out of the gate, he was ambushed by Sei.

"Hi Minamino-kun!" she said cheerfully, despite the clearly visible look of irritation on her companion's face. This Sei even acted like his Sei. Then, he could shut her up with a kiss or something of the like, but now, he couldn't do a damn thing.

Still, he had a feeling of familiarity when with her. His Sei was probably dead, and she reminded him of his mate, so it was natural.

"Hey Minamino-kun, I feel like I know you from somewhere. Do you recognize me from anywhere?"

Kurama shook his head. "Sorry, you feel kind of familiar as well, but I can't seem to place it."

"Oh." Sei looked crestfallen. _At last! A moment of quiet!_

Unfortunately for Kurama, his reverie was interrupted by two girls approaching him. When they reached him, they both bowed and one said, "Minamino-kun, we've both liked you for a long time, will you please go out with one of us?" Kurama looked thoughtful. Turning on the nice guy act, he told them, "I'm sorry, but I already have a girlfriend. She disappeared a long time ago, but I'm still waiting for her."

Honestly, he hadn't even lied. Kurama really was going to wait for Sei forever. He just couldn't fall in love with anyone else, no matter how hard he tried.

"Oh. We're sorry, how long has she been gone, if I'm not too rude?" the one that had stayed silent before asked.

"It feels like its been a hundred years…" Kurama replied. Sei gasped. The plant-wielder turned to her in an instant.

"Is that bad?" he pressed.

"No, I'm just in the same situation as you really…" she dithered. "I've got to go…" she whispered. Following the statement, she sprinted out of the gate as fast as she could.

Kurama was left with the two confessing girls. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and said curtly, "Goodbye."

About ten minutes later, he arrived at Yusuke's home. He had opened the door to find Botan, Koemna, Kuwabara, and Hiei all seated around the table, waiting for him.

"Way to show up late pretty-boy." Kuwabara jeered. Kurama said nothing and proceeded to put down his bag and sit next to his best friend, Hiei.

"Well, he's here, so that's what counts," Koemna stated. He was in his baby form and was slightly hovering above the ground.

"Yes, sir," Kurama replied.

"So, the meeting. You guys will have another member in your group soon. She should be here soon. She is under my personal care and you all are to be open and truthful with her. Understand?" Koemna told them sternly. There were grunts of approval throughout the room, though the one from Yusuke sounded suspiciously like "Whatever hardass".

"Okay, that taken care of, here is your new assignment. There is a mysterious demon circling Tokyo area and you guys need to capture it for questioning. According to reports, it is extremely dangerous, so you idiots better work together."

By this time, Yusuke and Kuwabara were already starting wisecracks about the whole thing, so they were ignored. While Koenma was starting on his second tirade, the door clicked and opened to show Sei running in, winded from her journey.

"Sorry! I got lost!" she said. Yusuke and Kuwabara snickered. Koemna gave the "the look".

"Let me introduce you to everyone Sei. They're idiots, but they'll work fine." He pointed to each of them in turn and introducing them and their role in the group. When he reached the subsection of 'Demons in the Group' for Kurama, Sei stopped him.

"Minamino-kun, you're a demon?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so," Kurama smiled good-naturedly at her. He turned to the rest of them. "We go to school together," he explained. Apparently, Kuwabara found it necessary for him to elaborate so he started talking.

"Yeah, Kurama is the legendary silver fox demon thief!" he said stupidly. Sei had a sharp intake of breath. Kurama facepalmed. Kuwabara ignored him. "What kind of demon are you?"

"I'm a clouded leopard animal demon," Sei explained. This time, it was Kurama's turn to gasp.

"What? Got something against those, pretty-boy?" Yusuke teased.

"No… Oikawa-san, Let me see your left shoulder," Kurama said. Yusuke and Kuwabara hooted with laughter while Hiei looked at his friend strangely.

"Okay, but I've got a tattoo there," Sei warned.

_That's the idea_. As Sei showed her shoulder, a tattoo of a white rose came into view. Kurama sighed. "You can pull your shirt back up now."

Kurama took his head into his hands. The others looked at him questioningly.

"Did any of you ever know that Yoko Kurama had a mate?" The others (excluding Sei) looked at him like he was crazy. "That tattoo signifies that she is Yoko Kurama's mate." He took his head out of his ands and stared at Sei. Tears began welling up in his eyes and running down his face.

"Sei, where did you ever go?"

**To be Continued**

So, tell me what you guys thought. I'd like to continue it regardless, but if get really bad criticism, I won't. Just tell me if it's good or bad, or it needs something. Excuse any typos in grammar, spelling, etc. It's really late.

Thanks! Sayuri


	2. Remember the Herbs

_**To mourningxair, I swear I know foxes are dogs.**__**It was kind of late when I wrote the story.**_** I'm glad people have reviewed, so thank you to you people! Thanks for sticking with the story of Kurama and Sei! I'm working on not making this story total fluff.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters in this story, nor Yu Yu Hakusho with the exception of Sei. I totally wish I owned Kurama though. **

"…" _Thoughts or Flashbacks_

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"Sei, where did you go," Kurama asked, tears welling up in his eyes. Yusuke, Botan, Kuwabara, and Hiei looked at Sei as if she had grown a third head. In turn, Sei looked at Kurama strangely.

"What? I'm your mate? I don't remember…" Sei said, her jet black hair falling over her face, shielding her face, where her forest green eyes were looking watery as well. Kurama looked crushed. He had wanted to know where she had been, if she still loved him, not that she didn't remember any of their past together.

Botan cleared her throat, smoothing her clothing. She took a deep breath and said, "Well, regardless of anything like that, let's welcome our new teammate!" She got up and disappeared into the kitchen calling, "I'll make some tea!"

"Wait, how do know where we keep the tea!?" Yusuke called after her, getting up himself to follow her in order to berate the reaper. In the kitchen, as Botan got all of the materials together, she was lost in thought. _How did I miss the info on Yoko Kurama being mated? They probably kept it a secret from everyone. If I had known about Sei…_

She shook her head. She had fallen for the fox demon after the Dark Tournament and had hoped to confess to him soon. Now it seemed that that was an impossibility. She heard Yusuke calling out to her before he unceremoniously stormed in.

"How do you know where we keep the tea stuff?!" he asked.

"How long have I been around you? You think I wouldn't know where you keep your shit?!" Botan said angrily. She was rather devastated and was not in the mood to deal with a delinquent. Yusuke looked taken aback.

"What's your problem? Does it bug you that we have to work with someone new?"

"No, it's not that," Botan remarked quietly. Yusuke blinked.

"Oh, I get it," he said as he grinned mischievously.

Blissfully unaware of the chaos brewing in the kitchen, the rest of the group sat quietly around the table. Kuwabara fidgeted uncomfortably due to the tension gathered around Kurama and Sei. Kurama stayed silent while Hiei looked thoughtful. Sei was looking at her feet while Koenma was looking at the red-haired fox demon guiltily. Kuwabara broke the silence first.

"So, what are your powers and your weapon? I'll bet its kick-ass," he said. Sei smiled at him.

"I have claws, and I control lightning to a certain degree."

"She's got to be pretty strong to be able to protect you and Urameshi from the demons," Hiei told Kuwabara.

"Wanna fight?" Kuwabara asked Hiei angrily.

"What's the point? You'd be down in five minutes," Hiei instigated.

"That's enough. This is coming from the demon who won't even tell his sister about himself. And you Kuwabara, this is from the person that Yusuke could knock out before any type of rei training," Koenma told the quarreling pair. Amazingly, both men shut up.

At this point, Botan and Yusuke returned from making tea. Botan carried a large tray with multicolored mugs resting on it, filled with tea. She set the tray in the center of the table and sat down, Yusuke following her with a sulky look on his face. The others would never know what transpired in the kitchen, and they probably didn't want to find out.

"Okay, now that we're all here and situated, I'll tell you about the mission," Koenma said. Grumbling followed from the group. The leader ignored it. "Okay, as I said before, there's a demon lurking around Tokyo who poses a threat to the city. It's powerful so you need to capture it and bring it for questioning and should try to find out its objective as well. It won't be easy, so you all should go."

Upon finishing this mini-speech, Koenma was assaulted with questions concerning the nature of this demon from the intelligent members of the group. Kurama had apparently regained his composure and calmly asked, "So what exactly does the spirit world think about this?"

"We basically just want to know if it's a major threat or not. Supposedly, it demolished several groups in the demon world."

"Ok, so when should we deal with this demon?" Hiei asked.

"You'll leave in a week, which should give you enough time to tie up loose ends such as homework, family, etc."

"Homework?" Yusuke and Kuwabara asked incredulously.

"Well, you two might not give a shit about homework, but Kurama and Sei might want to deal with school first. Kurama has to deal with his mother, and Kuwabara, you should deal with Shizuru before she kills you." Kuwabara gave a small squeak. The only thing the infamous gangster was frightened of, his big sister. Yusuke laughed and jeered at his rival.

"Yusuke, this applies to Keiko as well," Koenma remarked. "You're in as much danger as Kuwabara in that respect."

"My mom won't care, but Keiko, she'll filet me if I leave without telling her." Yusuke deadpanned.

"There you go. Have fun guys," Koenma said as he dismissed them all, disappearing with a "pop".

As the group dispersed to their respective homes, Kurama approached Sei. He looked determined to talk to her.

"Oikawa-san, can I talk with a bit?" he requested. She didn't remember him, so he didn't dare to address her by her first name. Sei nodded.

"Sure," she answered. Kurama took a deep breath. This was the plunge, where she could tolerate him, slap him, or regain a part of her memories.

"Oikawa, how much do you remember of your past? You gasped when you heard I was a thief in the demon world, and you said that something similar happened to you when I told those girls that my love had disappeared." Sei looked horrified.

"Why is there that look of terror?" Kurama asked gently.

"I remember a little. I know that I was part of a thievery group, no specifics, I remember having a lover, and apparently that was you." Kurama was kind of disappointed upon hearing this.

She knew nothing of their time together, him courting her, and that fateful night were their lives changed forever. He carefully stroked her cheek, not wanting her to be mad at him for the gesture.

"Would you like me to tell you?" he inquired.

"That would be great if you could tell me a little, just to try to jar my memory," Sei answered him, flinching a little at the physical contact. Kurama thought about what to tell her. He wanted her to remember their downfall herself; it would bring back too many painful memories for him to retell it. He decided he would tell her of their first meeting.

"Oikawa, would you mind coming to my house so I could tell you? I hate trespassing at Yusuke's house for too long."

"Sure…" All this while, Yusuke had been watching (some would call it spying) on them from behind the door. The couple turned to leave, but not before Yusuke made kissing sounds from behind their backs.

"No making out with her in your bedroom Kurama!" he called after the pair, wanting to have the last word. Kurama and Sei blushed bright red. They left without a word to Yusuke.

Once inside the Minamino household they had the misfortune to run into Kurama's mother.

"Shuichi, you brought a girl home! Would you like some snack?" she asked enthusiastically. Kurama shook his head.

"Don't worry about it mother. We just need to talk some," he remarked. Sei looked skeptical. Kurama departed from the kitchen to his bedroom, where they could go without interruption. His mother was wonderful, but she definitely didn't need to hear of his demonic past. He shut the door and flicked the light switch. Light spilled all over the small room.

"I'd like to tell you about how we met, is that acceptable to you?" Kurama asked cautiously. Sei nodded.

"Yeah, but one thing, should I address you as Shuichi or Minamino-san all of the time, or as Kurama when we're with the team?

"Either is fine. I'd prefer to be called Kurama when near the detective group, that's the only name they've ever addressed by with."

"Okay," Sei said timidly. Kurma smiled, and started the story.

_-105 years before Present Day-_

"_Yomi! Cover the rear! I need three people to go with him as backup. I don't care who. Just go!" I screamed at the company. They were under attack after a heist and they were not having very much fun with it. Yomi, my second-in-command, however, was not taking it seriously at all. He obeyed my orders, but took his time picking the enemies off. _

_We had to reach a village that would shelter us; otherwise the weaklings in the company would die. Finally, after a long chase, the troupe found a village. The enemy didn't follow the thieves in, and for that we were grateful. Tired and relatively pissed off, I prepared to meet the headman of the village to ask for shelter until the danger subsided and injuries were taken care of. I came to the main hall of the headman's residence before meeting him. The headman was a short man, he had a human disguise on, but he was clearly a powerful demon._

"_So what can I do for you? Are you an enemy?" the headman asked._

"_I'm no enemy, lest you turn against me," I replied. "My men require a place to rest and tend to injuries before heading to our base. We also were chased here and can guard you from that enemy." _

"_Are you strong?"_

"_Relatively. My generals and I are stronger than average demons, if that's what you are implying. We pose no threat to you if you let us stay."_

"_Alright, you may stay. Take the injured to the healer's place; it is next door to this building."_

"_Thank you." I walked out of the headman's office to go to the healers with my men. _

_My men and I arrived at the healer's shack within ten minutes. Only the weaker demons in the company were hurt, demons such as me and Yomi were unscathed. As we entered, they came across an old woman who appeared to be the healer. She dressed their wounds and sent us off to recuperate. It was a quick procedure, taking less than an hour. As the leader, I stayed behind to thank the healer. As I bowed as a gesture of thanks, a young woman came in, bearing tea for the old woman. _

"_Obaasan, here is some tea. You've been working hard for these people," she said. I stared. Who was this woman?_

"_Hello Sei. Thank you for the tea." The healer turned to me, still dumbstruck._

"_This is my daughter, Sei-san. She helps me out occasionally," she told me._

"_Sei this is Kurama-kun, the leader of these men. He was just thanking me." Finally, I stepped out of the trance._

"_Hello Sei-san." I said dumbly. It was so obvious I was entranced by the healer's daughter, that is to say, you. The old woman's eyes twinkled. You blinked in confusion._

"_Leader-san, thank you for showing such gratitude to my mother," you said. _

"_Sei, would you go to the lake and get some herbs for me? And Kurama-kun, would you follow her and protect her?" The healer was clearly up to something._

"_Obaasan! I can take care of myself!" you protested._

"_Kurama-kun tells me that there are enemies outside the village, so you need a male escort," your mother said calmly. I looked thoughtful._

"_Since I owe you a debt, I'll go," I remarked. I just wanted to get closer to you. Brushing silver hair out of my face, I looked at you. You just sighed._

"_Fine. C'mon I'll lead you there and you can follow."_

"_Fine."_

_On the path to the lake, we were both very quiet. I didn't dare open my mouth, for fear of you ignoring or yelling at me. You were silent as well, if not for the same reasons. When we arrived at the clearing, you sat down on your knees to gather the selected herbs. When you finished gathering one batch of herbs, you turned around to face me._

"_What's a pretty-boy like you doing leading a troupe of bloodthirsty demons?" you asked. I twitched. I always hated being called a pretty-boy._

"_I am not a pretty boy. And most of my men began to follow me after seeing my strength." That seemed conceited, but I didn't care. _

"_So you're very strong I assume. You have to be to make that many demons follow you." I shrugged._

"_I suppose. Your village is relatively peaceful, correct?"_

"_Yes, it really is. My mother is hardly needed for real battle wounds." You turned around to pick more plants, as if ignoring me._

_I looked at the herbs you had already picked and then at what you were picking at the moment. I pointed at a patch of small flowering plants a few feet away._

"_If you need healing plants in general, there are some over there," I told you._

"_Thank you, I'll get those in a minute," you said. "So you know much about healing plants?"_

"_Just enough to get by. Those, however, are very rare." You turned around to face me, laid the plants in your hands in a basket, and stood up to look at me in the eye. I was stunned by the show of assertion. _

"_If you like, I could teach you a bit about healing. I know some from my mother," you said softly._

"_That would be pleasing to me," I told you very formally._

_Upon hearing this, your eyes lit up and you tossed your black, braided hair over you shoulder and plopped down on the ground._

"_Sit," you commanded, and gestured to the ground beside you. I complied. Reaching into the basket, you pulled out several different types of healing plants and showed them to me. You began rattling of their names to me, and I listened to every word. I hated dependency on others, so I really wanted to learn how to take of myself, healing being a part of that._

"_This is agrimony, this one is linden, and this one is heartsease," you told me. This teaching went on for hours, until the beginning on sunrise. Without realizing it, we had stayed up all night and I still hadn't learned everything. I was hooked; spending time with you was an added bonus. _

_I took a deep breath and said, "Sei-san, would you like to accompany my troupe for a while and continue teaching us about healing? When you were done or wanted to leave, we could drop you at this village during our travels." You smiled. _

"_Sure. But only for a bit, I would hate to just leave my mother with no assistant." My heart soared. Not only would you continue teaching me, you would also travel with us. We raced back to the village, you to your mother's and me toward my men. You felt it necessary to tell your mother goodbye. When you came to meet us on the outskirts of town, you were prepared for anything we might face. I turned toward my men._

"_This is Sei-san and she will be accompanying us in order to teach us some degree of healing. No one is allowed to hurt her, nor rape her or anything of the like. She is a guest and should be treated as such." You nodded and bowed to the group, asking for acceptance. It was given, but not without the male humor. Yomi and some other brave demons began to jeer about last night, how I had never come back and when I returned, there was a woman with me._

_Your ears perked up, listening to the conversation. You decided to ignore it and proceeded with introductions to the few still-listening demons. At the end of the day, we left the village and continued our trek throughout demon world. Even after learning that we were thieves, you still accepted us and continued teaching. Your personality changed; you opened up and became almost annoyingly talkative, always making bets with me. I trained you to fight when you refused to become a liability. Attraction between us came later, over the course of three years. _

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Kurama finished his story with a sigh. He was sitting on the floor and Sei was perched on a nearby chair, staying attentive. When she realized he was done, she protested.

"Would you tell me more?" she asked. Kurama shook his head.

"No, at least not tonight. I want you to remember things on your own, not have me tell you everything."

_Roses are Red, Violets are blue._ He resolved to think about this innocent rhyme that had spontaneously popped into his mind. There had to be reason, right?

"Oh," she said, feeling guilty. "I'm afraid I should leave now, its getting late." The leopard waved and exited the room and the house stealthily, alerting no one of her presence except Kurama. As she walked outside toward her home, Sei thought hard. She knew snippets and pieces of things, and now that Kurama had told her, she could remember most of that event.

_The look on his face, it was almost longing. I don't want to see that face, the face of the one who loved me, when I'm not even sure who he is. Please, Kami, let me remember him._

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**If you read this far down without getting too bored, I commend you. I know that memory loss is really cliché, but it was the only way out of a plot web I had trapped myself in. Otherwise, the story wouldn't have enough info to be a story! I'm hoping to make this story last at least 4 chapters, maybe more depending on plotbunnies. Again, excuse any grammar and typos, I'm suffering from sleep deprivation. **


	3. The Beginning and His Marking

**Yay for me finally finishing chapter three! Sorry it took so long, I had a bit of writer's block and I've been busy. Please excuse typos, my keyboard is really messed up and some keys don't register. Thanks for reading!**

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or any of the characters aside from Sei. If I did, would I really be writing all of this?

"…" _Flashbacks and Thoughts_

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A week came and went, chronicling all the loose ends that had to be tied up in order to finally set forth on the mission. Schoolwork was procured, family members were said goodbye to, and training was a regular occurrence. Yusuke and Kuwabara goofed off life usual, not even bothering to get homework, only to train and beg Keiko and Shizuru to let them leave. Fortunately for them, permission was given. Kurama and Sei were good students and had gone to get their schoolwork, only to receive hoots and wolf whistles when they went up toward the teacher. Since they had asked for work for the same week at the same time, it was assumed by the majority of the class that they were taking a clandestine trip together or something of the like. Botan and Hiei disappeared for the next week, only to reappear at the week's end for departure. At the end of the week, the whole group was sitting in Yusuke's backyard. Koenma was late and Kuwabara and Yusuke were pretty pissed.

The two delinquents were sitting side by side on a wooden plank lying in the grass; they obviously didn't feel like sitting in plants. Kurama and Hiei were leaning on the side of the house, deep in conversation. Sei was alone, kneeling in the grass, reading a book titled, "Heaven's Angels and the Demons of Earth" and looked very absorbed in it. Ten minutes later when Koenma finally arrived with Botan, Yusuke and Kuwabara were the first to torment him, holding his hat high above his head, making him jump for it and taking his pacifier so he couldn't fly to it.

"Hey! Shitheads! Give those back! Otherwise I'll sentence you to eternal torment in the last layer of hell!" Koenma shouted at the pair. Botan was watching amusedly, her hand over her mouth, smothering a giggle. It appeared that she had gotten over her heartbreak. Kurama, Sei and Hiei looked up at the chaos. Sei marked her page and closed the book with a slam. This startled the group into silence. Yusuke dropped his boss's hat and pacifier into Koenma's waiting hands with a sigh.

"I see you chose life and relative happiness," Koenma remarked with a smirk.

"No, I just got really bored with that game. Next time, I'll think up a better one," Yusuke retorted, walking away from the overseer. Koenma frowned.

"Okay, everyone leave all of your shit where it is and listen," he called. After gumbling, the group obeyed.

Koenma turned to Yusuke and Kuwabara, displaying a malicious grin. Oh yes, he would get back at them.

"You two go to the Saitama Prefecture and investigate. Just warning you," he said. "That's where the demons with large amounts of killing intent congregate." He was certainly having his fun, sending his tormentors to the most dangerous region. Botan, you go with them too. I can't have them being injured too badly." He smirked. _Revenge is sweet, _he thought.

Next he turned to Kurama, Hiei, and Sei. Kurama sighed. He could tell that he would be put into a grouping with Sei. Honestly, that was a little scary to him. How could he be around her so much without triggering some really awful memories?

"The rest of you, go to Chiba. I don't really care what happens to the rest of you, but you guys are strong and I'd rather not lose you," Koenma said with a fake sigh.

"Got it," said Hiei. Koenma motioned for them to all come together. When they complied, he yelled, "NOW GO!" at the top of his lungs into their ears. This was obviously not his favorite day.

The next day, the group was split and each part was headed to their respective location. Botan, Yusuke, and Kuwabara were mildly freaked out when Koenma had said they were headed to the more dangerous location, but demons were looking forward to the action headed their way. Once there was about a three mile distance between the groups, conversation and jeering started. Of course, the jeering came from the idiot team.

"I can't believe Koenma sent us to do the hard job!" Yusuke complained.

"Well, if you two hadn't made him so mad, maybe this wouldn't have happened!" Botan yelled.

"We were bored!" Yusuke protested.

"That doesn't mean you should torture the prince of the spirit world!"

"Oh, come on bitch! Give me a break, that kid's a fucking asshole!"

"Language!" Botan retaliated. "You're on a job, show some amount of professionalism!"

"What are we office workers?" Kuwabara imputed. "We're detectives, not boring fuckers that sit around on a computer all day."

"How is falling for your 'coworker' professional?" Yusuke remarked. This was his final card to pull on Botan. It worked, she immediately blushed bright red. Kuwabara, however, was confused, due to not having heard of this plot twist.

"Huh? Who'd you fall for, Botan?" he asked mischievously.

"No one! Just shut up Kuwabara!" Botan said, still blushing.

"I know!" Yusuke nearly sang.

"Don't tell him you asshole!" Botan said with a faint note of pleading.

"She likes…" Yusuke started. Botan was making motions and nearly crying out of stress. This was fun, very fun to him, maybe the most fun he'd have all year.

"…Kurama!" he finished with a flourish in his words. Botan basically screamed in anguish.

"Yusuke!" she screamed, tears welling up in frustration. During this, Kuwabara was rolling in laughter on the side of the dirt road.

"Come on lover girl! The other group'll beat us to the chase if we don't hurry up! Kuwabara, C'mon, get your ass up!" Yusuke's voice rang all over the surrounding area.

Indeed, the other group was already far closer to their destination than the poor lovesick, spirit detective, and clueless gangster. They had been using their demon powers to move more quickly, and it was paying off; they would be sleeping under shelter tonight. Hiei was ahead, with Sei and Kurama trailing behind, side by side.

"Kurama-kun, you know what the tattoo on my shoulder means, right? When you first heard I was a demon, you looked for it," Sei asked with an inquisitive smile on her face, her green eyes illuminated by the sunlight. Kurama stiffened. _She still doesn't remember, does she?_ With a sigh, he said, "It's similar to an animal marking its belongings or territory."

"So I'm like your 'belonging'?" she asked. Kurama chuckled. She was pretty clueless in the matters of the past.

"In a way. The tattoo is a marking that shows that you're mated to me. At one time, I had a marking similar, but it disappeared when I was reborn," he explained.

"Oh." Sei became silent and looked at the ground in front of her.

"Hey! You better hurry up or I will leave you behind. And I won't regret it either," Hiei called from in front of them. With wide grins, they complied.

Nightfall came upon the demons, and they were just nearing a town with an inn. Blue met green as Sei and Kurama caught each other looking around. Their fingers intertwined, and they sprinted ahead, leaving Hiei in the dust.

Upon entering the inn, they immediately reserved a room, and then traipsed off to find dinner. They finally found it, at a soup shop where they ate before returning to the inn. They had only gotten one room, so it was cramped. There were two beds on either side of the room, with a chair in the corner. As they passed through the room door, the demons sized up the room.

"Ok, how do you want this to work?" Sei said casually.

"Well, it's only for one night either way. One of us can have each bed, and the other can take the chair," the fox replied.

"Guard shifts. Whoever guards first should take the chair," Hiei remarked.

"Oh. In that case, I'll take the chair. I want to guard first," Sei said.

"Ok," the men replied in unison.

"Kurama-kun, will you tell me more about my past? Since you told me last week, I've been remembering more," the leopard asked. Kurama sighed heavily.

"Okay, what do you want to hear about?"

"The tattoo. I want to hear about how I got it."

_We had met, learned together, trained together, and pulled off many heists together. Furthermore, we had fallen in love. This had gone on for two years, and I was at a loss for where to take our relationship next. Yomi and some of my other subordinates where urging me to do all sorts of things, none of them appropriate. Meanwhile, you still stayed by my side, the same way you always did, not even noticing the changes. Even so, I knew that you loved me. So many shared kisses and shared nights, but we both still had so much to learn about love. One day, I finally got an idea of what to do to finally mark you as mine. I would leave a physical mark, not a ring. That would be too dispensable. A tattoo would suffice nicely. That night, I came to you with my proposition._

_"Sei… Will you love me forever?" I asked._

_"Sure, as long as I'm able. I mean, you know, there's always the chance of separation and—"you replied until you were cut off by hard pressure on your lips; I had kissed you. _

_"Don't talk, just tell me straight. Will you?" I said. You nodded slowly. This was the moment of truth, when I finally asked you the big question._

"_Will you… be my mate?" I asked quickly. You looked taken aback; you had probably never seen me so stressed and unsure. Then to my great pleasure, you nodded and said, "Yes." I smiled._

"_Show me your shoulder." You did as I asked. With a small amount of rei, I marked the skin of you shoulder. It was a tattoo, something that would never go away, just like I hoped you would never leave me. A white rose. It represented me and you. Seeing what I had done, you asked for my shoulder, to do the same. I complied and you left a mark on my shoulder as well. We now belonged to each other, and I can say without regrets that there was no sleeping that night._

--

**So, um, thanks for reading. Next chapter, I promise will have more action and Sei will remember something big on her own. Ok, here's the deal. I'd like 10 reviews total before the next chapter is posted. If not, I won't be motivated to wite very quickly.  
**

_**Sayuri**_


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